Method and system for conveying snow along the width of a displacement snowplow

ABSTRACT

A system for removing contaminants from a surface. The system being attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction. The system including a first scraper for removing contaminants from a surface and a first conveyor system including a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with the first direction.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for treating a surface, inparticular, to a method for the lateral displacement of wintercontaminants from a surface.

BACKGROUND

Conventional systems for removing winter contaminants (i.e., snow, ice,slush, etc.) from a surface often utilize displacement snowplows.However, the efficiency of these conventional winter contaminant removalsystems is limited in that much, if not most, of the energy required todisplace the winter contaminant to the sides of roadways and airfieldpavements is wasted. In particular, for displacement snowplows a largeamount of energy is expended to move the winter contaminantslongitudinally in the vehicle's direction of travel even though thepurpose of the snowplow is to move the winter contaminant laterally.

The present invention provides an apparatus and/or method that mayimprove the efficiency of contaminant removal. The present invention mayreduce system power requirements, and energy consumption while at thesame time providing more aggressive cleaning and a cleared pavement. Thepresent invention may also improve aircraft and road vehicles' brakingperformance and directional stability while leaving less wintercontaminants on the pavements. Accordingly, the present invention mayreduce the need for the application of chemicals or friction enhancingabrasives.

SUMMARY

There is provided a system for removing contaminants from a surface. Thesystem being attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction.The system including a first scraper for removing contaminants from asurface; and a first conveyor system including a continuous trackelement for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in asecond direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with thefirst direction.

The system may also be configured such that the first conveyor system isdisposed at an angle relative to the surface.

The foregoing system may be configured such that the angle is 90degrees.

The system may be configured such that the second direction isorthogonal to the first direction.

It is contemplated that the second direction may be varied by a userand/or a controller.

It is contemplated that the speed of the first conveyor system may varybased on a speed of the vehicle, or by the operator.

It is further contemplated that the system may further include a liftconveyor positioned between the scraper and the first conveyor system.The lift conveyor may be provided for moving contaminants in a verticaldirection from a rear edge of the scraper to the first conveyor system.

It is contemplated that the first conveyor system may be parallel to thesurface from which contaminants are removed.

It is contemplated that the system may also include an adjustable speedconveyor and/or blower mechanism disposed at the distal ends of thefirst conveyor system. The adjustable speed conveyor and/or blowermechanisms may be configured for ejecting the contaminants leaving thedistal end of the first conveyor system in a controlled direction and toa controlled casting distance.

It is further contemplated that the system may include a second conveyorsystem and a second scraper attached to the vehicle. The second conveyorsystem may have a first end positioned adjacent a first end of the firstconveyor system, and a second end oriented away from the first conveyorsystem. The first conveyor system and the second conveyor system mayeject contaminants from opposite lateral sides of the vehicle.

It is contemplated that the first conveyor system may be disposed at afirst angle relative to a line perpendicular to a direction of travel ofthe vehicle and the second conveyor system may be disposed at a secondangle relative to the line perpendicular to the direction of travel ofthe vehicle.

There may also be provided a method for removing contaminants from asurface. The method may include steps of: moving a removal system in afirst direction; placing a scraper of the removal system in contact witha surface for scraping contaminants from the surface; and moving a firstconveyor system of the removal system for transporting the contaminantsrelative to the system in a second direction wherein the seconddirection is not aligned with the first direction.

The foregoing method may further include a step of: before the step ofmoving a conveyor system of the removal system, transporting thecontaminants in a vertical direction from the surface.

The method may further include a step of: after the step of moving aconveyor system of the removal system, ejecting said contaminants in anoperator controlled direction and distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional fixed face moldboard snowplow;

FIG. 2A is a side view of a first embodiment the present inventionshowing a conveyor for moving winter contaminants in a lateral directionacross a face of a moldboard snowplow;

FIG. 2B is a top view of the first embodiment of FIG. 2A, showing twosystems of FIG. 2A placed end to end for delivering winter contaminantssimultaneously in different lateral directions;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of the present inventionshowing a plurality of conveyors for moving winter contaminants in alongitudinal direction and then in a lateral direction relative to thevehicle; and

FIG. 4 is a front view of a third embodiment of the present inventionshowing a conveyor system for delivering winter contaminants to a highspeed conveyor or blower wherein the high speed conveyor or blowerredirects or deflects the winter contaminants in a user selecteddirection and distance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional curved moldboard snowplow 10 isshown. Th snowplow 10 is attachable to a vehicle (not shown) andincludes a cutting edge 12 that is configured to scrape along a surface14, e.g., a runway of an airport. During use of the snowplow 10, wintercontaminants 16, e.g., snow, ice, slush, etc. and/or debris may collectin front of the snowplow 10 as the vehicle moves in a longitudinaldirection “A.” However, as the winter contaminants 16 are removed fromthe surface 14 they collect on and in front of the snowplow 10, therebyrequiring that the vehicle exert more energy to move and displace thewinter contaminants 16 from the surface 14. In some instances, thesnowplow 10 is angled relative to the direction of travel “A” to reducethat amount of energy required by the vehicle. However, even whenfurther angling the snowplow 10 it still requires an appreciable amountof energy from the vehicle to both push and displace the contaminants.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a system 20 according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The system 20 replaces the conventionalmoldboard snowplow 10 (FIG. 1) and, in general, includes a scraper 22and a conveyor 24. The scraper 22 may be made of a material that isrigid enough to remove winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14 whilenot damaging the surface 14. A leading edge 22 a of the scraper 22 maybe angled or sharpened to a forward facing point versus a blunt, morevertical scraper (as illustrated in FIG. 1) to allow the scraper 22 toaid in the removal of winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14. A rearedge 22 b of the scraper 22 may be positioned above a front edge 24 a ofthe conveyor 24. Conveyor 24 may be fixed at, or be variably adjusted toany angle between horizontal 0°, and vertical 90°.

The conveyor 24 may be one or a plurality of distinct conveyor elements26 that are configured to transport the winter contaminants 16 thereonin a lateral direction “B” (shown as into the page in FIG. 2A). It iscontemplated that the conveyor 24 may be a variable speed and/orreversible conveyor. It is contemplated that the conveyor 24 may allowan operator to vary the speed and direction that the winter contaminants16 are discharged in the lateral direction “B” from an end of theconveyor 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, the conveyor 24 is tilted at anangle α relative to the surface 14. It is contemplated that the conveyor24 may be disposed at any angle from 0 degrees, parallel, to 90 degreesrelative to the surface 14.

It is contemplated that an overall width of the system 20 may be lessthan the overall width of the conventional snowplow 10 to clear the samewidth path. This is because it is not necessary to position the system20 at an angle to convey the winter contaminants 16 in the lateraldirection. In other words, unlike conventional snowplows 10, the system20 does not rely on the cosine angled width of the snowplow 10 todischarge the winter contaminants 16 to a trailing edge of the snowplow10. Instead, the system 20 provides a lateral conveyor 24 thatdischarges the winter contaminants 16 to a left or right side of thesystem 20. The lateral conveyor 24 also allows for the use of widersystems 20 as the amount of winter contaminants that the vehicle mustpush in the longitudinal direction is greatly reduced, as compared toconventional snowplows 10.

It is also contemplated that because the system 20 is reversible, theoperator need only select a conveying direction of the lateral conveyor24 to discharge the winter contaminants 16 to the desired side of thevehicle, instead of angling a conventional displacement snowplow.

It is also contemplated that the system 20 may also reduce thecompression of the winter contaminants 16 into a texture of the surface14 that tends to be caused by an excessive mass of the wintercontaminants 16 being pushed and piled in the longitudinal directionbefore exiting a trailing edge of a conventional moldboard plow 10. Thesystem 20 may reduce the amount of winter contaminants 16 that is pushedinto and onto the texture of the surface 14, thereby reducing the amountof chemicals or abrasives required to obtain or maintain traction on asurface being cleared.

It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 24 may be 2.5 to 300 feetin length for clearing surfaces 14 ranging from sidewalks to commercialrunways at airports.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, two systems 20, 30 are attachedto a vehicle 18 and placed ended to end. A first system 20 moves thewinter contaminants 16 laterally in a first direction 21 that is at anangle

₁ relative to the a line perpendicular to the direction of travel (i.e.,direction “A”) of the vehicle 18. A second system 30 moves the wintercontaminant 16 laterally in a second direction 31 that is at an angle

₂ relative to the line perpendicular to the direction “A.” In theembodiment shown, angle

₁ is about 20° and

₂ is about 20°. The first direction 21 and the second direction 31 areshown as being less than 180° relative to each other. It is contemplatedthat as the angles

₁ and

₁ vary the angle between the first direction 21 and the second direction31 may be greater than, equal to or less than 180°.I

It is also contemplated that a controller 100 may be connected to thetwo systems 20, 30 for allowing a user to manually adjust the angles

₁ and

₂. It is also contemplated that the controller 100 may be programmed toautomatically adjust the angles

₁ and

₂ based on the speed of the vehicle 18 and/or based on the conditions ofthe surface 14 and the amount of winter contaminants 16 to be removedfrom the surface 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, a system 40 according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The system 40, in general, includes ascraper 42, a vertical lift conveyor 44 and one or more lateralconveyors 46. The scraper 42 is similar to the scraper 22 discussedabove and will not be described in detail below. A rear edge 42 b of thescraper 42 is positioned above a leading edge 44 a of the verticalconveyor 44. The vertical lift conveyor 44 may be configured totransport the winter contaminant 16 leaving the rear edge 42 b of thescraper 42 in a direction “C” that is opposite the direction of travel“A” of the vehicle (not shown). A rear edge 44 b of the vertical liftconveyor 44 may be positioned above a leading edge 46 a of the lateralconveyor 46. The one or more lateral conveyors 44 may then discharge thewinter contaminant 16 in the desired lateral direction. It is alsocontemplated that the vertical lift conveyor 44 may allow the operatorto increase the longitudinal speed of the vehicle, thereby clearing thesurface 14 faster as compared to a vehicle utilizing the conventionalsnowplow 10.

In the embodiment shown, the lateral conveyor 46 is disposed parallel tothe surface 14. It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 46 may betilted at any angle relative to the surface 14, e.g., perpendicular, 45degrees, 60 degrees, etc. so long as the lateral conveyor 46 moves thewinter contaminants 16 in a lateral direction.

In the embodiments shown, the lateral conveyor 46 and the vertical liftconveyor 44 are shown as conventional belt conveyors. It is contemplatedthat the lateral conveyor 46 and the vertical lift conveyor 44 may alsobe segmented track conveyors and/or include cups or scoops to increasethe efficiency in conveying and discharging the winter contaminant 16 inthe desired direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, a system 60 according to a third embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The system 60 is similar to the system 20,described in detail above. System 60 includes a lateral conveyor 62 anda redirecting mechanism 64 that may be disposed at either or both endsof the lateral conveyance conveyor(s) 62. The redirecting mechanism 64may be deployed such that the winter contaminant 16 being dischargedfrom either end of the lateral conveyor(s) 62 is redirected selectivelyupward, downward, forward or rearward relative to the respective end ofthe lateral conveyor 62. This redirecting of the winter contaminant 16may avoid discharging the winter contaminant 16 into or onto an objectlike a driveway, roadway guardrail, airport runway edge light, sign orother object. It is contemplated that the redirecting mechanism 64 maybe a rotary snowblower or a conveying apparatus with a plurality ofvanes or blades (not shown) for discharging the winter contaminant 16 inthe desired direction.

The invention has been described with reference to the exampleembodiments described above. Modifications and alterations will occur toothers upon a reading and understanding of this specification. Examplesembodiments incorporating one or more aspects of the invention areintended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar asthey come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claims is:
 1. A system for removing contaminants from a surface,the system attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction,the system comprising: a first scraper for removing contaminants from asurface; and a first conveyor system including a continuous trackelement for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in asecond direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with thefirst direction.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first conveyorsystem is tilted at an angle relative to the surface.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the angle is 90 degrees.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction. 5.The system of claim 1, wherein the second direction is variable by auser and/or a controller.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein a speed ofthe first conveyor system varies based on a speed of the vehicle, or byan operator.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a liftconveyor positioned between the scraper and the first conveyor system,the lift conveyor for moving contaminants in a vertical direction from arear edge of the scraper to the first conveyor system.
 8. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the first conveyor system is parallel to the surface.9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable speedconveyor and/or blower mechanism disposed at a distal end of the firstconveyor system, the conveyor and/or blower mechanism configured forejecting the contaminants leaving the distal end of the first conveyorsystem in a predetermined direction and distance.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising: a second conveyor system and a secondscraper attached to the vehicle, the second conveyor system having afirst end positioned adjacent a first end of the first conveyor system,and a second end oriented away from the first conveyor system, whereinthe first conveyor system and the second conveyor system ejectcontaminants from opposite lateral sides of the vehicle.
 11. The systemof claim 10, wherein the first and the second conveyor systems arealigned by an operator, and rotate in a same direction to eject wintercontaminants to a same lateral side of the vehicle.
 12. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the first conveyor system is disposed at a first anglerelative to a line perpendicular to a direction of travel of the vehicleand the second conveyor system is disposed at a second angel relative tothe line perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle.
 13. Amethod for removing contaminants from a surface, the method includingsteps of: moving a removal system in a first direction; placing ascraper of the removal system in contact with a surface for scrapingcontaminants from the surface; and moving a first conveyor system of theremoval system for transporting the contaminants relative to the systemin a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned withthe first direction.
 14. The method of claim 13, further including astep of: before said step of moving a conveyor system of the removalsystem, transporting the contaminants in a vertical direction from thesurface.
 15. The method of claim 13, further including a step of: aftersaid step of moving a conveyor system of the removal system, ejectingsaid contaminants in a predetermined direction.